I have had enough!

"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said." - 1 Kings 19:3-4

These words of Elijah stopped me in my tracks this week. How often do we feel like Elijah felt on that day? We come to the end of our tether and there is so much going around us, that we just want to scream: I Have Had Enough!

Elijah's story was obviously very unique, but I think we get it! We can relate to his sense of desperation and despair. What do you do when you reach this stage in your life? Is crying out to God an option for you, or do you try and shoulder everything alone? 

Elijah realised that he had come to the end of his human strength and so he was forced to lie down and let God take over. And God lovingly restored him and nudged him back onto the path again.

2 Corinthians 4:8 - "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair..."

Living in Grace

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Without despair and pride

"Jesus Christ is a God whom we approach without pride, and before whom we humble ourselves without despair." - Blaise Pascal

This quote reminded me of the words from Hebrews, where we are invited to approach God's throne with humility and confidence.

^"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16

This teaches us that there are two things we can let go of as we come to God: Our pride and our despair. 


Living in Grace
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Despair

The word 'Despair' means that we are 'without Hope' or that there is an 'absence of Hope.' We can all relate to feeling like this at times, but the Good news is that we don't need to get to the that place, if we have Jesus by our side. He is the HOPE we so desperately seek.
 
2 Corinthians 4:8 - We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 

Psalm 40:2 - He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

"Never let us despair while we have Christ as our leader." - George Whitefield

May you not be driven to Despair today, but rather into the safe arms of Jesus.

Living in Grace
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Giving up too easily

In the next part of his reflection Thomas a Kempis records a conversation between Christ and 'The Disciple' (who could be himself or to any one of us). It starts like this:

Christ: My child, you are not yet a brave and wise lover.

Disciple: Why, Lord?

Christ: Because, on account of a slight difficulty you give up what you have undertaken and are too eager to seek consolation...

There is so much truth in this honest answer from Jesus. How many times do we fall away, or even think of giving up, when we face trials of any kind? We are prone to despair and want to throw in the towel too easily. God encourages us to push on through the troubling times and to stay committed to his ways.

"...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." - Romans 5:3-5

So, if this is for you today, then please hang in there - God will help you to stay strong in the midst of difficult times.

Living in Grace
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